Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry in a new, horrific, unimaginable way. Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas hoping to escape her creatAmaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry in a new, horrific, unimaginable way. Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas hoping to escape her creator....more

Nook, 226 pages

Published
February 12th 2009
by Smashwords, Inc.
(first published November 4th 2008)

You have Amaliya and Amaliya was turned into a vampire by her professor. The professor decides that he wants to really screw with Amal (in more ways than one) and just lets her loose onto the human population. The professor, Amal's Maker (he's actually called "The Summoner"), gives Amal no instruction, no limitations, and literally stalks her to see what type of damage Amal causes while learning the vaMade the Badass Hidden Gem II list..

You have Amaliya and Amaliya was turned into a vampire by her professor. The professor decides that he wants to really screw with Amal (in more ways than one) and just lets her loose onto the human population. The professor, Amal's Maker (he's actually called "The Summoner"), gives Amal no instruction, no limitations, and literally stalks her to see what type of damage Amal causes while learning the vampire ropes.

Amal has had a hard life and is a real fighter. So, when she is basically made one of the undead, she is going to do whatever possible to survive being a vampire. She sets out to learn more about her new status but along the way, certain aspects of her lifestyle, specifically the fact she needs to feed kind of causes problems. Like how does one stop feeding off of a human once you start?

How does Amal learn everything? It is all trial and error. With trial and error, comes lots of bloodshed. Oops, I think Amal just sucked another human dry. It’s not like she wants to, she is clearly remorseful and that makes her want to find a better way to do what she does. So, she goes on a search for vampire, that is where Cian comes into the story.

With Cian’s help, Amal learns the ropes. However, The Summoner is not too happy with Cian's interference. The Summoner is extremely powerful, before he was a vampire, he dabbled in necromancy. Combine the two, and you have one seriously powerful and messed up vampire.

So now that Cian and Amal are joined at the hip (and eventually at the lips, tongue and various other parts), the Summoner is mad and well, he’s not going to take it anymore.

The characters

Besides Cian and Amal, you have a great assortment of side charactersSamantha- Cian’s fiancée. Now all you people who hate cheating. Never fear, this is not what you think. Seriously.Roberto- Cian’s butler; or as Amal calls him “Cian's bitch”. He doesn’t want to share Cian with anyone and lets his feeling be known.Grandmamma- best grandma character ever! Loved her.

The Bad

Some errors

I think this book has been edited quite a few times since she originally released it but there are still a few clumsy passages or flat out errors. For example, in one paragraph, the author meant to write “Jeff” but instead wrote “Cian”. I knew she didn’t mean “Cian” since he wasn’t in the scene for that part of the book and this was dialogue.

The clumsiness and errors did not take away from the overall story. I think that in itself is a testament to how good the actual story is.

Beginning dragged

Poor Amaliya. Seriously, she had some horrible luck in the beginning of the book. The first 25 to 30 percent of the book is Amal trying to survive her new vampire status. She is Hungry, and she needs to Feed. It is depressing to the reader to go through Amal’s struggles for so long. I kept thinking “enough already”.

Later in the book, you discover how significant those struggles are. The fact that Amal lives through those first few days’ means something. I just can’t tell you.

The cover

I hate the cover. Not because it is gross or scary but because it doesn’t really reflect the story as a whole. This book isn’t a horror book. Sure, there are horrific elements and the author does not spare us any graphic detail but it is also an urban fantasy, has lots of witty humor and even a very charming romance.

Overall

How much did I like this one? If I could have (work got in the way), I would have not stopped reading it. When I was done, I wanted another book- asap!

Disclaimer- The book is only 1.99 right now so if I’m wrong and the book sucks, you aren’t wasting a ton of money....more

ReginaLoved your review. I actually love the beginning. I don't think it drags at all. So I wouldn't worry about your rec. :) I love how dark and gritty andLoved your review. I actually love the beginning. I don't think it drags at all. So I wouldn't worry about your rec. :) I love how dark and gritty and horrific the beginning was. I initially gave this book 4 stars, but thinking about it's impact on me and the it was a self published work I upped it to 5 stars. I can't wait to read her zombie book. I actually pre ordered it for 9.99. I am so glad she got picked up by a publisher for that series....more
Jun 10, 2011 05:42AM

Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker Queen of the UndeadRegina wrote: "Loved your review. I actually love the beginning. I don't think it drags at all. So I wouldn't worry about your rec. :) I love how darkRegina wrote: "Loved your review. I actually love the beginning. I don't think it drags at all. So I wouldn't worry about your rec. :) I love how dark and gritty and horrific the beginning was. I initially gave t..."

I'm so happy you liked it. It's amazing what she's done all on her own. I'll probably read the zombie series again once they come out with the new publisher. I heard there are added scenes. It's seriously very good....more
Jun 10, 2011 08:20AM

What would you do if you woke up buried in the ground? Well Amaliya first took a shower (duh!), then what comes next involves blood. Lots and lots of blood.

Left on her own to find out what she is, and how to survive it, Amaliya has a pretty rough beginning into her new vampiric life. However, she soon proves to be a pretty bad-ass heroine by, well... improvising. She's a fighter through and through. Instead of whining aboutFREE on Kindle until May 6th!http://www.amazon.com/Pretty-When-She...__

What would you do if you woke up buried in the ground? Well Amaliya first took a shower (duh!), then what comes next involves blood. Lots and lots of blood.

Left on her own to find out what she is, and how to survive it, Amaliya has a pretty rough beginning into her new vampiric life. However, she soon proves to be a pretty bad-ass heroine by, well... improvising. She's a fighter through and through. Instead of whining about her horrible situation, she goes out there and figures it out. Embracing it, even. Which I found especially awesome. It's not without a kill or two… or three, but eventually, she finds another of her kind. This is where Cian comes along.

Cian is centuries old, and the master of Austin. He doesn't know what he's getting into when he decides to take Amaliya under his wing. Let me just tell you, it gets hot. Very hot! That is, until Samantha - Cian's human fiancé - and his servant Roberto comes along. Things get very cold, fast. Neither wants Amaliya around, so as you can guess, you can also expect plenty of back-stabbing and betrayals. As usual, good or bad, all the characters are incredibly well written and perfectly flawed. Even the side characters play a major role in the story. I can't fail to mention Sergio and Grandma which, with their humor and charm, became instant favorites.

"It's the irony of being a vampire. Being immortal and being terrified of death."

Gritty and dark, the vampire lore in Pretty When She Dies sticks to the original blood drinking, day sleeping vampires; they're dangerous and violent. I loved the overall world building, in particular, the addition of necromancy (which means we also have some zombies!) that shakes it up a little giving us an extra twisted plot and epic fight scenes. This necromancer - they call him The Summoner - can not only call on, and control, an army of undead, he's also a wickedly malicious and extremely old vampire. This makes him highly powerful as a villain. Believe me, he won't fail to intimidate you. How about this: To lessen his boredom, he creates vampires to set free, stalk, then kill. That's not barbaric at all... This book is definitely not without its fair share of action.

I continue to be blown away by Rhiannon's crack-infused pages; keeping me glued to her words. Combining classic vampire lore, horror, and romance - she has given us another astonishingly compelling read.

Hands up who's heard me say I don't enjoy vampire novels? And I honestly think it was this whole 'nice vampire' trend that went down a few years ago - I like my paranormal creatures to be scary, hardcore and gory, not all puppies and flowers and skipping through fields. Therefore I'm always a bit wary of vampire books, but I knew that Rhiannon Frater I was in pretty safe hands....and I definitely wasn't wrong.

Pretty When She Dies is a 'proper' vampire novel - there's death, destruction, ghouls,Hands up who's heard me say I don't enjoy vampire novels? And I honestly think it was this whole 'nice vampire' trend that went down a few years ago - I like my paranormal creatures to be scary, hardcore and gory, not all puppies and flowers and skipping through fields. Therefore I'm always a bit wary of vampire books, but I knew that Rhiannon Frater I was in pretty safe hands....and I definitely wasn't wrong.

Pretty When She Dies is a 'proper' vampire novel - there's death, destruction, ghouls, hot vampire lurve, bad language and flawed characters - and I loved it all. The inclusions of well-known and lesser-known vampire lore also makes for fascinating reading - do religious icons really work, does a vampire need to be invited inside your home, does that garlic choker just make you smell like an Italian feast?

From the moment Amaliya wakes up buried in the forest (greatest fear ever, anyone?) I knew she would be a character that I would love, and although her family life was pretty much a train wreck, she has a great balance of toughness and vulnerability, along with an unconditional love for those people who deserve it.

I thought her grandmother was particularly awesome, and even the slightly irrtating Samantha had her redeeming features. Cian is one hot vampire, and definitely not in the sparkly sense - his story also added an extra facet to an already fascinating storyline.

I love that Rhiannon Frater set this book in Texas - her knowledge of the state really shone through, and gave the book a gritty, real feeling.

I dare anyone to read Pretty When She Dies and not love the characters whilst being fascinated by the examination of vampire lore and carried frantically from page to page with perfect pacing and realistic dialogue. I can't wait to move onto Pretty When She Kills - mark this day down peeps, I'm hungering for a VAMPIRE book!

Check out the review and interview on Happy Indulgence, along with your chance to win the entire trilogy on paperback & eBook!

Actual Rating: 3.5

Pretty When She Dies is a throwback to vampires when they were actually scary. You know, the ones that actually drink blood, rip apart their enemies, aren’t afraid of gore and don’t try to relive high school again.

I found the book to be absolutely terrifying.

It starts off with a bang as Amaliya wakes up buried underground and is absolutely terrifiedCheck out the review and interview on Happy Indulgence, along with your chance to win the entire trilogy on paperback & eBook!

Actual Rating: 3.5

Pretty When She Dies is a throwback to vampires when they were actually scary. You know, the ones that actually drink blood, rip apart their enemies, aren’t afraid of gore and don’t try to relive high school again.

I found the book to be absolutely terrifying.

It starts off with a bang as Amaliya wakes up buried underground and is absolutely terrified as she’s blinded by darkness with dirt filling her lungs and claustrophobia. As she digs herself out of the shallow grave, she is frantic and plagued with extreme hunger. After cleaning herself up and realising that she’s no longer human, she stumbles upon a college orgy and slaughters all the humans there with her bloodlust.

The book follows on with a sick and twisted game of her creator, called The Summoner who stalks and terrorises her. After acting on her newly found vampire instincts, she’s cast out by her family, forced to go down on a disgusting driver and finally meets her vampire mentor and lover called Cian. Cian takes Amaliya under his wing and they both plot to stop The Summoner’s twisted games.

If you haven’t noticed already, Pretty When She Dies doesn’t shy away from explicit scenes of gore, sex, and horror. I think the shock value of it really got to me at times. There’s rape, murder, cheating, gore, demons knitted with human body parts with working sexual appendages, and lots of gorey, raunchy scenes.

While the first half of the book covered her journey into the undead and learning how to cope, the second half sort of simmered as we met Cian and a bunch of secondary characters including his fiancee which I found super annoying. She’s a jealous, bouncy, meddling woman who seeks out a vampire hunter to deal with her newfound threat. The whole time I just wondered how this was going to pan out and whether she was just asking for trouble.

The coolest thing about Pretty When She Dies is that it features vampire necromancers who can raise the dead. I’ve never stumbled upon anything like this and it is delivered in a chilling way.

If you enjoyed the Blade movies, you’ll probably like this book. Pretty When She Dies is great for a dark, gritty and scary vampire read that will put some disturbing images in your head. Most books nowadays romanticise vampires and unfortunately, it seems like I actually prefer them....more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.ARGAHHHHHH!NOTHING IRRITATES ME MORE THAN WHEN A BOOK STARTS OFF REALLY INTERESTINGLY AND THEN GOES TO SHIT!

Pretty When She Dies started off as an engaging, fun, bloody, true vampire story. The main character of Amaliya gets turned into a vampire by her sexy professor Mr. Sumner [yeah, they have great names in this book]. She wakes up buried in the ground and is forced to big out of her own grave. That part was awesome, especially since I just finished watching the season of Buffy in which thatARGAHHHHHH!NOTHING IRRITATES ME MORE THAN WHEN A BOOK STARTS OFF REALLY INTERESTINGLY AND THEN GOES TO SHIT!

Pretty When She Dies started off as an engaging, fun, bloody, true vampire story. The main character of Amaliya gets turned into a vampire by her sexy professor Mr. Sumner [yeah, they have great names in this book]. She wakes up buried in the ground and is forced to big out of her own grave. That part was awesome, especially since I just finished watching the season of Buffy in which that happens. In the first one hundred pages, you might think this book is awesome. Violence, sex, blood, all the good stuff. There are grammatical mistakes, but it is a self-published book so that comes with the territory. The story itself drags you in and you want to know what is going to happen.

That is until the romance plot tumor begins to show itself.

As soon as Amaliya meets this older vampire named Cian, who is the Master of Austin there is an attraction. Cian gives Amaliya some of his blood and they start a sexual relationship. Problem is, Cian's engages to a human girl named Samantha. The whole affair pisses me off because there is no non-physical reason for Cian to be attracted to Amaliya, but he starts falling for her. He starts going on about how his relationship with Samantha was an illusion and that she made him a better human, but Amaliya makes him a better vampire. Bullshit like that. He says that he has to be a better vampire in order to protect his area.

Including himself and Amaliya, only two mother-huggin' vampires live in the damn area. It's bullshit in order to make the relationship seem angsty, Not to mention, they try to make Sam the bad guy, when she is the one who goes out risks her life in order to save Cian's life. After they all risk their lives to save him, Cian has sex with Amaliya while everyone's waiting in the car. Sam then tells him the engagement is off and Cian says "I understand." Ugh....I just hated it. Not to mention they declare their love for each other after three damn days. -massive eye roll-

Plus, Amaliya gets a random ass power that she masters in two seconds, so I was eye rolling every single time she used it. It was just a book that started off strong, but crashed and burned.

First and foremost, vampires are not romanticized. Don’t get me wrong, they have powers that can be used for seduction in order to feed, true – but that is not what the book is about. This isn’t a book about a vampire falling for a human and trying to make it work. In fact, it’s a realization that it’s not possible for that to work. Vampires are monsters and only in accepting and embracing that fact are they made strong.

Another great thing aboutThere were so many things I liked about this book.

First and foremost, vampires are not romanticized. Don’t get me wrong, they have powers that can be used for seduction in order to feed, true – but that is not what the book is about. This isn’t a book about a vampire falling for a human and trying to make it work. In fact, it’s a realization that it’s not possible for that to work. Vampires are monsters and only in accepting and embracing that fact are they made strong.

Another great thing about this book is Grandmama. She is an awesome character. I want to be just like her when I grow up with a very similar relationship to my grandchildren. She is feisty, courageous, loving and accepting of those she loves.

I enjoyed watching the progression of the main characters, Amaliya and Cian. The character development was done with great skill. They are both likable, strong characters.

This book has it all. Horror, romance, action, betrayal and the underdog overcoming obstacles. I'll be finding more of Frater's books as soon as possible.

I believe this was written as a stand alone novel but there is room for a series as well. I’m curious to see if we will get more stories about Amaliya and Cian....more

Do you remember that time when vampires were bloodtirsty monsters who didn't have soul, mirror reflection and could be seriously harmed with religious items of all kinds? Vampires with no morals? Immortals with Mount Everest sized egos? Yeah, the good old times before sparkly 900 years old vampire with "forever teen" syndrome. Do you know that Buffy/Edward T-shirt from J!NX?

That is the best way to describe Pretty When She Dies. Book is full Buffy references, but also other popular vampire stor

Do you remember that time when vampires were bloodtirsty monsters who didn't have soul, mirror reflection and could be seriously harmed with religious items of all kinds? Vampires with no morals? Immortals with Mount Everest sized egos? Yeah, the good old times before sparkly 900 years old vampire with "forever teen" syndrome. Do you know that Buffy/Edward T-shirt from J!NX?

That is the best way to describe Pretty When She Dies. Book is full Buffy references, but also other popular vampire stories. I thought it was nice touch - it made it feel "real".

Amaliya is no wallflower or damsel in distress. She is all but that. Blond goodie two shoes gone bad, goth, tattooed chick. Add to that unwilling baby vampire and you have trouble. First third book is a little bit slow - there's just Amaliya and her struggle with new vampiric nature. She does what she's best at - runs away. That's her only choice if she wants to survive. I liked that author didn't make her nowdays usual holier than thou type.

Other charaters are pretty much well writen. Cain reminded me of Lestat by his actions and the way that he thinks. But, you are going to love Graandma the most. Story will keep you on the edge untill the end. All of you who like it down and dirty, will enjoy in sexy scenes. Only thing that I minded was steretyphical way of describing certain ethnic groups. Also, dialogues sometimes seemed forced, as if author tried too much to be witty and fun.

Second book in the trilogy, Pretty When She Kills, is coming out on September 7th. We are participating in the blog tour, so be sure to come by on September 10th. I'll just say that second book is even better.

Until next time...

***NOTE! Copy of the book is kindly provided by Rhiannon Frater. (Thank you!!!) I'm not paid for writing review - I do this for free as lover of written word. All opinions in this review are personal. ...more

The GoodYou know when you are eating a calorie free hot fudge brownie sundae while getting your feet massaged by a bare-chested Chris Hemsworth and you realize you are NOT dreaming? Yeah, that's what this book is like for me.

Oh, the love I have for this book. It makes me feel tingly all over. I actually have the other two books of the series, but I am holding off a bit on starting them because I want to stretch out the happy happy johttp://readingandwritingurbanfantasy....

At A GlanceBookgasm!!!

The GoodYou know when you are eating a calorie free hot fudge brownie sundae while getting your feet massaged by a bare-chested Chris Hemsworth and you realize you are NOT dreaming? Yeah, that's what this book is like for me.

Oh, the love I have for this book. It makes me feel tingly all over. I actually have the other two books of the series, but I am holding off a bit on starting them because I want to stretch out the happy happy joys joys I feel for this series. Sure, I've only read Pretty When She Dies, but did you guys ever get that feeling where you just KNOW that you are going to love the rest of a series? I have that feeling now. I actually had to force myself to put this book down just so I could prolong the experience. Every time I devour a book I love too fast, I get so sad that it ended so quickly. I wasn't going to do that with Pretty When She Dies. I had to spread the fun throughout the day, savoring the tummy butterflies I got every time I picked it up again.

Amaliya was AH. MAZ. ZING. She is one of my new favorite characters. She is not your typical heroines. She's dark in every sense of the word. She has dyed black hair, tattoos, piercings (*cough* nipple piercings *cough*), she likes hardcore metal music, and she likes the bad boys (she's looking for her Led Zeppelin prince charming). But when she is brutally turned into a vampire, left in a grave to dig herself out, and abandoned by her creator to figure out what being a vampire means, we see her vulnerable side. I think she did pretty good at taking care of herself. She turns out to be a badass vampire, even if she is feeling her way through it blind when it comes to her new undead state. Eventually, she comes to embrace her new lifestyle. But before all that, she comes up with a plan to find another vampire that can help her learn what it means to be a vampire. And she finds Cian.

Cian has a dark past but has come to live a life close to being a human. He is the Master of Austin and likes his quiet life as the only vampire in the city. Amaliya messes up his "perfect" existence with her presence, especially since he is so attracted to her. Because Cian has a fiancé, a human fiancé. But Cian feels responsible to help Amaliya learn the vampiric ways. He knows her creator is evil and she needs all the training she can get to help keep herself alive from the creator's sick games. Cian is hot, and only gets sexier as the book goes on. I loved that he just couldn't resist Amaliya because she brought out an interesting side of his character. He's a good guy, but he needed to embrace his vampire side so bad. Once the human stick up his but was removed, Cian became a force to be reckoned with.

The side characters were pretty awesome as well. Despise most of Amaliya's family being major asshats, her grandma is there for her no matter what. Her grandma was pretty badass herself, and had me cracking up. Samantha, Cian's fiancé, went through an interesting character arc. She was sweet, then crazy jealous, then mean, then fierce, then nice again. It was fun watching her go through the motions. Roberto. Oh, Roberto. Yeah, I will leave him as a surprise for you all.

Pretty When She Dies is a gritty, dark, and hilarious vampire book that will leave you giddy. The dialogue was done right and had those hints of humor that I love. The characters were all complex and interesting. The story was fascinating and refreshing. I liked the addition of zombies and how The Summoner (Amaliya's creator) could control them. It was creepy as hell. The action was intense and could get pretty gruesome which worked for this book. I am going to keep my eye on Frater's books for now on because she is a great writer.

The BadThe beginning is a bit slow, but it picks up pretty fast after that.

The SnugglyI LOVED Amaliya and Cian. Their lust for each other was so hot. They tried so hard to stay away from each other. Amaliya didn't want to screw up Cian's life more than she already had, and Cian was trying to stick with his bubbly, blond fiancé who made him feel human. But once Amaliya entered his world, he couldn't help but relish being a vampire once again. I loved how they seemed so opposite at first, but it becomes obvious how similar they really are. It's like they grew into the perfect couple.

Oh yeah, be ready for some Bow Chicka Bow Wow. We get awesome sexual tension and great sex scenes.

Final ThoughtsNo doubt about it, I will be continuing this series. I hope it will make my favorite series list. Frater knows how to spin a gritty but humorous tale with characters you come to care about. Be on the look out for my reviews of the rest of the series in August because I have a feeling I can't wait too long before I devour the rest of the books. Very highly recommended.

Quotes"It's weird," she whispered. "You know, being so powerful and yet being so vulnerable." "It's the irony of being a vampire. Being immortal and being terrified of death."

"I knew you were special when I took you. You were so pretty when you died. Exquisite in death. More lovely than you had been in life."”

"At first he thought her unremarkable, but she was one of those people who slowly emerged from the shadows the more you learned about them. The dimmest of all the lights had grown to blind him and he had to take her."

“You have a boyfriend and didn't tell me.” “I didn't think you'd be okay with me having sex,” she answered. “Oh, God! I don't want to hear it, Grandmama!” He covered his ears with his hands and stood staring at her in disbelief. “I told you. You're such a wussy,” she said with a sad shake of her head.

I started this book with the idea I'd just taking a peek to see how it starts off, had every intention of waiting to read it fully after I completed the other three I'm already reading. However, the story grabbed me from page one and never let go! I was bummed when it was over. I was happy to see Ms. Frater mention a 2nd book, "Pretty When She Kills" coming out in the future, so there will be more Amaliya and Cian to come. :)

Things I loved about this book: * What vamp book lover out there coulI started this book with the idea I'd just taking a peek to see how it starts off, had every intention of waiting to read it fully after I completed the other three I'm already reading. However, the story grabbed me from page one and never let go! I was bummed when it was over. I was happy to see Ms. Frater mention a 2nd book, "Pretty When She Kills" coming out in the future, so there will be more Amaliya and Cian to come. :)

Things I loved about this book: * What vamp book lover out there could resist such a beautiful cover?? * A return to gore and not an over romanticized vamp story * Amaliya acted as you'd expect and kicked ass in the process

Great Quote: "It's weird," she whispered. "You know, being so powerful and yet being so vulnerable." "It's the irony of being a vampire. Being immortal and being terrified of death."

I think that's something that has always made vampires more "real" in stories is that even though they are immortal, they still have vulnerabilities.

I checked out Rhiannon Frater's website and she's currently offering this book for FREE ONLINE *for an undetermined amount of time*, so check it out, then be sure to buy a copy for your collection!

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.I haven’t read many newly-risen-vampire books but in direct competition of those I have read (The Turning and Undead and Unwed are all I can think of at the moment) Pretty When She Dies wins hands down. It was gritty and very realistic in that if vampires did exist I wouldn’t be surprised if when they first rose they had similar obstacles to overcome, namely the bloodlust and the inadvertent killing spree to sate it.

There are good vampires, which seem rare in this book, bad ones and perhaps somI haven’t read many newly-risen-vampire books but in direct competition of those I have read (The Turning and Undead and Unwed are all I can think of at the moment) Pretty When She Dies wins hands down. It was gritty and very realistic in that if vampires did exist I wouldn’t be surprised if when they first rose they had similar obstacles to overcome, namely the bloodlust and the inadvertent killing spree to sate it.

There are good vampires, which seem rare in this book, bad ones and perhaps some that fall in between. The reasons the Summoner was evil were made obvious; his boredom and loneliness after so many centuries of walking the Earth had warped his mind - in some books you never know what turned the “enemy” to the dark side.

The characters were believable and their development over the course of the book was well done. Amaliya was tough, she’s a survivor of both physical (what the Summoner does to her) and emotional (her cruel screwed up family) pain who has learned that running away when things get hard is the best thing to do but finds that with the Summoner on her tail there is nowhere for her to run that he won’t find her so she’s forced, mostly by Cian, to make a stand and fight. The romance between Amaliya and Cian progressed from “maybe I should kill her” to “he’s not my type he’s too short and clean” to forbidden love/lust and finally relief that they could be together. I liked Cian’s transformation. His appearance changed from clean shaven good guy in hiding to a rougher, more confident and alert politician ready to take on the vampires.

Obviously my favourite character was Grandmamma – wow, I was right there with her grandson Sergio in his shock, disbelief and finally laughter after the revelation about her love life. I was glad when their fear of what Amaliya had become gradually turned into acceptance, unlike the reactions of her cruel family. I have to admit that I fully expected Grandmamma to let her religion get in the way of her accepting Amaliya’s new state and was waiting for her to call her the spawn of Satan and attack her granddaughter. I wish she was my grandmother, she’s a fierce but loving woman – no man or woman would want to cross her.

I don’t really want to make this comparison but Pretty When She Dies does remind me of certain aspects of Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake series. The Master (vampire) of the City system, the messed up zombies made from multiple body parts, the necromancy are all similar but I think this book is tighter and perhaps darker in its very isolating you-against-the-world nature. Overall this is an intriguing and worthwhile read for urban fantasy lovers.

I liked the idea of vampires having different powers (that's not very unusual) and I thought the idea behind the Summoner was nice and creepy...but I did not like Amaliya. Not at all. I also found the story line to be a bit too predictable. There were some funny moments, but overall Amaliya was too oblivious and dumb for me.

Also, and I only bring this up because this popped up a few times throughout the book, while I found the heroine's name really pretty and unusual, what the heck is the pointI liked the idea of vampires having different powers (that's not very unusual) and I thought the idea behind the Summoner was nice and creepy...but I did not like Amaliya. Not at all. I also found the story line to be a bit too predictable. There were some funny moments, but overall Amaliya was too oblivious and dumb for me.

Also, and I only bring this up because this popped up a few times throughout the book, while I found the heroine's name really pretty and unusual, what the heck is the point of other characters pointing this out? Why go to the trouble of explaining that Amaliya's name is Russian but the spelling might have been altered? And then her little sister's name is Rachel?! Lame! Well, not Rachel the name itself, just that Amaliya gets this name that had thought and effort put in behind it and then there's Rachel...better than Raychel or something but still. What's the point of all this anyway?!

Romance was so obvious and not really an issue, more of a convenience and a lust. Hopefully it works out for them. I see that this is the first book in a series, so huh..not sure what will happen next!...more

This was a great story, grittier and darker than a lot of the other UF I usually read and I really enjoyed it. Amaliya is a great heroine and we meet her when she wakes up in her own grave, having to dig herself out, only to find out that she is a vampire now. We go on a journey with her to find more of her kind and hopefully take revenge on the guy who made her, an age old necromancer and vampire who is truly evil and made her only so he could toy with her. She also has to try and figure out whThis was a great story, grittier and darker than a lot of the other UF I usually read and I really enjoyed it. Amaliya is a great heroine and we meet her when she wakes up in her own grave, having to dig herself out, only to find out that she is a vampire now. We go on a journey with her to find more of her kind and hopefully take revenge on the guy who made her, an age old necromancer and vampire who is truly evil and made her only so he could toy with her. She also has to try and figure out what abilities and limitations she acquired after the change and learn how to keep the blood-lust in check. When she meets Cian, the master of Austin, a vampire who tries hard to be more human by being engaged to a bubbly (and at first sort of annoying) human woman and stay away from other vampires, she inadvertently turns his life upside down. They help each other accept what they truly are and do everything to rid themselves from their mutual maker.

As I said before this was a really good story with great characters. Cian wasn't the usual beautiful vampire hero, but an average looking guy who wasn't overly romanticised which was quite refreshing for a change. The supporting cast, which consists of Amaliyas Grandmama, my personal favourite, her cousin, Cians fiancée and a vampire hunter were all wonderfully written. I'm looking forward to reading more of Rhiannon Fraters stories....more

KerstinThanks Suzanne. It was a really good book (and only 1.99 on Amazon).

The author stopped by in a thread in one of my groups and said there would eventuaThanks Suzanne. It was a really good book (and only 1.99 on Amazon).

The author stopped by in a thread in one of my groups and said there would eventually be a sequel to it called "Pretty When She Kills", but when asked when it'll come out she answered "If you mean Pretty When She Kills, I have no clue. I have yet to write it. My agent and I are going to be discussing it this coming week. I'm not sure if I will continue to independently publish the series or if we'll decide to submit it to the big publishers. We'll see." That was in June and since then I haven't heard any new information.

But don't worry, you can read it as a stand-alone, there are no cliffhangers or open endings....more
Mar 16, 2011 08:32PM

I finished this book late last night and was thinking of some brillant comments to put into my review. Unfortunately they all went away when I fell asleep. So now to write my 'tribute' review of Pretty When She Dies. Amal-(I'm not even going to attempt to spell her full name) is a woman in her mid 20s from east Texas. She has been in college twice trying to escape a very rough life. Both her sister and mother died of cancer. Her dad married her cousin. Her aunt Mae is a toothless hag from hell aI finished this book late last night and was thinking of some brillant comments to put into my review. Unfortunately they all went away when I fell asleep. So now to write my 'tribute' review of Pretty When She Dies. Amal-(I'm not even going to attempt to spell her full name) is a woman in her mid 20s from east Texas. She has been in college twice trying to escape a very rough life. Both her sister and mother died of cancer. Her dad married her cousin. Her aunt Mae is a toothless hag from hell and her brother seems to be a complete douche. Her only redeeming family, her grandmama and primo Sergio live in west Texas. Amal is away at college when she meets a handsome Professor who seduces her. The book starts with her waking up in her grave...a newly turned vampire.The good:The story is well written and the last half flows beautifully. The characters are all well written and the protags are likeable. I loved Cian. He was great. The vampires in this book are REAL vampires. The are blood loving fiends. I loved that. No angsty teenage vamps here. Sure Amal has her fair share of angst going on in the beginning of the book but she gets over that. The Summoner was scary but in a good way. I hated him. What a creeper. There is plenty of action in this book although the showdown at the end was my favorite. Gotta love little mexican grandmas. Samantha, Cian's fiance, was annoying. Cian's man servant was also a major creep. The bad:The first chapter or so drags. It's not until Amal gets on the road to self discovery that it really picks up. This might have been done on purpose so the reader goes through the same disorientation that Amal does. That is really the only bad thing I can say about this book. Amal is kick butt. Cian is a fox and what happens when they meet is magic....more

I DEVOURED this book, I could not put it down! Which, is why it got the fourth star. Technically it is probably only a 3 star book but I so easily sunk my teeth (hee hee) into it that I had to up the rating a little. It's got it's editing issues, but I was able to look past that...mostly.

Amaliya, for me, is a young-modern-inked up-sexed up-slightly trashy-female Vampire Lestat. She doesn't really know who she is, where she belongs, who loves heFirst off...FYI...ebook at Amazon.com is only $0.99!

I DEVOURED this book, I could not put it down! Which, is why it got the fourth star. Technically it is probably only a 3 star book but I so easily sunk my teeth (hee hee) into it that I had to up the rating a little. It's got it's editing issues, but I was able to look past that...mostly.

Amaliya, for me, is a young-modern-inked up-sexed up-slightly trashy-female Vampire Lestat. She doesn't really know who she is, where she belongs, who loves her or why anyone really would. She's a sad creature who falls under dire circumstances and has to fight her way in an unknown world. She's no simpering weakling though, she's a fighter and I loved that about her though she isn't the most endearing character I've ever read, she's a screw up - but hey aren't we all at times.

At one point, I thought wow - this author really is not going to give this kid a break! It was cruelty after horror after bad luck after dumb ass mistake.

The characters where all fairly interesting, some (Sam) with a nice side helping of annoyance. Some with humor. Some with pure sex appeal. And this book has its fair share of sex. Not a recommendation for the youngins - this is NOT your Sparkly Happy Vampire Love Story!!

Overall this was a fun read and I will happily follow the series!...more

This book was recommended to me by one of my bloggy BFF's, Missie @ The Unread Reader- and combined with the fact that it was written by Rhiannon Frater, who as you all know, pretty much BLOWS my freaking mind with the expanse of her awesomeness. Needless to say, I was wicked excited to start Pretty When She Dies!

Tattooed, pierced, stiletto wearing Amaliya wakes up- BURIED IN THE GROUND. She's panicked and scared but manages to dig herself out... And all she knows is that she has to get home, anThis book was recommended to me by one of my bloggy BFF's, Missie @ The Unread Reader- and combined with the fact that it was written by Rhiannon Frater, who as you all know, pretty much BLOWS my freaking mind with the expanse of her awesomeness. Needless to say, I was wicked excited to start Pretty When She Dies!

Tattooed, pierced, stiletto wearing Amaliya wakes up- BURIED IN THE GROUND. She's panicked and scared but manages to dig herself out... And all she knows is that she has to get home, and she's feeling a little bit insane at the moment!

After a bloody night spent 'feeding', the reality of what she has become is crystal clear. Her professor of psychology is actually a centuries old vampire known to most as 'The Summoner' for his ability to command the dead to do his will. I KNOW RIGHT?! So she does the only thing that she can think to do, she goes 'home'.

Amaliya's version of home is my version of hell- twice over. Her father is a mean SOB, who married her cousin- RIGHT AFTER her mother died of cancer. Her aunt is a toothless biotch, spat from bowels of Satan himself... As you can imagine, they weren't all that sympathetic to Amaliya's predicament and throw her out almost immediately after her arrival.

Amaliya is walking down the highway wondering how her life turned out like THIS- when Pete, (awwww... Pete!) an old friend, pulls up next to her and offers her a ride... *winks*

After a few hours of INTENSE, passionate lovemaking and him confessing his long-standing love for her... things start to go horribly astray when he flips on the light and finds that she has no reflection in the mirror!!! Yeah... OMG.

Making her way to Dallas to see her Grandmama (duuuuude, Grandmama is the highlight of my LIFE. Loved her!) she hitches a ride with a chick and quickly realizes it was NOT a good plan!

"Not even five minutes had passed and now she had to deal with a batshit crazy woman."

"It was freaking hard to be a poor ass Texan vampire."

I LOVED Amaliya. Seriously, she was rock your face off AWESOME! As were ALL the characters in Pretty When She Dies! After her very 'exciting' visit with Grandmama and cousin she heads to Austin hoping to find another vampire to understand her new life... since her creator is obviously going to be more trouble than anything else!

In Austin she meets Cian, who is engaged to the very HUMAN, very sweet, fun, and somewhat naive Samantha! Things start to get a tad out of control between Cian and Amaliya... and by 'out of control, I mean H-O-T. Yummy hot.

"She had woken up determined to learn what she could from him and then go off and find her own Rob Zombie lookalike. Or a young Ozzy Osbourne clone that would be nice. Or maybe both."

Sam realizes she losing Cian and goes to a lecture on the supernatural, which is being given by a freaking VAMPIRE HUNTER! And she opens her big mouth and tell Jeff EVERYTHING about Cian and Amaliya...

Roberto, Cian's right hand man, has grown tired of Amaliya's influence in Cian and his life and goes to DRASTIC measures to rid them of her presence!!!!

There is an EPIC fight between The Summoner, and those he created... and Amaliya finds she has a LOT more power than she originally thought! *SQUEE* I can't wait for you to find out what it is!! You'd never believe me if I told you who fights on their side, and who ends up betraying them in the end...

"Love and hate were not so different when passion was involved."~ Not telling you who says this!

Hands down, Pretty When She Dies is one of my FAVORITE reads of this year! Easily, one of the BEST vampire books I've ever read!

Love, betrayal, murder... Romantic, funny and horrific... Amazingly compelling characters and an intensely fantastic plot! Theses are things that only Rhiannon Frater could blend together and make something this EPIC. ...more

A fantastic back to basics vampire story! No day-walking, animal blood drinking, whiny pining to be mortal babies!

What was there not to like ... ok LOVE about this book? It was a refreshing return to traditional vampire lore; sunlight kills, no eating animals, have to be invited inside someone's home ... It was great!

There are two clear halves to the book, the first half where Amaliya is trying to figure out what happened to her, and adjust to her new "life", and the second half, where she meetsA fantastic back to basics vampire story! No day-walking, animal blood drinking, whiny pining to be mortal babies!

What was there not to like ... ok LOVE about this book? It was a refreshing return to traditional vampire lore; sunlight kills, no eating animals, have to be invited inside someone's home ... It was great!

There are two clear halves to the book, the first half where Amaliya is trying to figure out what happened to her, and adjust to her new "life", and the second half, where she meets other vampires and learn about her maker. If I had to pick a favorite half, I am not sure I would be able to. They are just to different; like comparing traditional vampires to sparkly vampires. They both drink blood but that is pretty much it.

I really felt for Amaliya during her struggles. She had a pretty tough life, and her after-life isn't shaping up to be so hot either. Due to he upbringing, she has next to no self-esteem, but is pretty self reliant and stubborn. That turns out to be her biggest advantage.

When she finally meets others of her own kind ... Oh Cian. (Pronouced Key-an) She wins the lottery when she meets him. Except he is engaged. To a human. But that's ok, he isn't even her type. Sure sure honey, keep telling yourself that. He is everyone's type.

And the narrator, Kristin Allison, does a great job with the different characters. I never wondered who was talking. I was a little concerned right at the beginning, because she seemed a little monotone, but it fits with the story. Just give it a sec. :-)

I really have nothing bad to say about this book. I loved it and can't wait to listen to the next one, Pretty When She Kills....more

Pretty When She Dies is a deliciously dark urban fantasy that quickly draws you in. Filled with vampires, necromancers, romance and kick-ass characters Frater took me on one heck of a ride. As a book addict, there is the high I constantly chase, that only an awesome, epic book can give me. Pretty When She Dies gave me that fix.

When we first meet protagonist Amaliya she finds herself buried in a shallow grave on her college campus. At first she cannot remember who she is, but stumbles her way bacPretty When She Dies is a deliciously dark urban fantasy that quickly draws you in. Filled with vampires, necromancers, romance and kick-ass characters Frater took me on one heck of a ride. As a book addict, there is the high I constantly chase, that only an awesome, epic book can give me. Pretty When She Dies gave me that fix.

When we first meet protagonist Amaliya she finds herself buried in a shallow grave on her college campus. At first she cannot remember who she is, but stumbles her way back to campus and her dorm room. She gets sick and showers, but soon realizes she is very hungry. Making her way out to the parking lot, she hears music and smells food. Things get very bloody, very fast. When she awakens in the morning, her college professor is there and confirms her worse fears; he has made her a vampire. Naked and covered in blood he gives her his jacket, declaring that is the only help she will get from him. Amaliya quickly realizes she needs to flee. The tale that unfolds is action packed, funny, terrifying and filled with endearing characters.

The characters Frater has created are friggin awesome. Amaliya is sweet and bad-ass all at the same time. I quickly connected with her. She is a natural blonde, but dyes her hair jet black, sports tattoos and piercings. She loves rock and roll, and is studying to be a psychologist. Her creator is one freaky ancient vampire who completely gave me the chills! He is bored and turned Amaliya for his own amusement. He stalks her, to watch how she handles the change. *shivers* Cain is a centuries old vampire also created by the same creator and he controls Austin, Texas. He is smart, oh so smexy and about to marry a human named Samantha. He lives in an apartment building he owns with his servant Roberto who cracked me up one minute and annoyed me the next. His fiancée Samantha is innocent, pure and completely annoying! Both Roberto and Samantha want Amaliya gone. This creates some interesting situations and double crosses. Amaliya’s grandmother was an absolute hoot and at times she and the other vampire hunters stole the show. I loved their shenanigans and her fearlessness.

The world building is fantastic. Frater brought this dark, gritty vampire world to life. There are no sparkly vampires here. While vampires act and behave like the vampires of old; sleeping during the day and living without reflection, Frater brought a new twist that blew my mind. I loved the history she provided regarding the Creator and Cain. The romance that develops is dripping with sexual tension and the dance was delicious, raw and hot. The relationship slowly developed into more and I enjoyed watching it unfold. The creator , known by some as “The Summoner” can raise and control the dead. He is not at all happy with his new toy and when he discovers her strengths he sets out to control her. Frater created action packed scenes and gave such detail that I had a HD Movie with surround sound playing in my head. The tale wraps up nicely without the dreaded cliffhanger. Frater has breathed life back into vampires for me, and I cannot wait to read more.

Fans of dark, gritty urban fantasy with kick-ass protagonist need to purchase Pretty When She Dies immediately. *just saying, can you tell I absolutely loved this book!* Frater skillfully brought the vampires of old lore to present day Texas and it will literally blow your mind. Pretty When She Kills is the next book in the trilogy and I will be bringing you the review later this month.Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer...more

My first Rhiannon Frater book, but certainly not my last. I rather enjoyed her style of writing and am looking forward to reading her zombie trilogy.

Pretty When She Dies... not exactly a title that left me super curious about the book, but that cover sure did. In case you haven't been watching, I'm somewhat of a sucker for a good vampire story; especially if said story has vampires that aren't emo and vegetarian. No worries on that front in this novel. These vampires know what they need to surviMy first Rhiannon Frater book, but certainly not my last. I rather enjoyed her style of writing and am looking forward to reading her zombie trilogy.

Pretty When She Dies... not exactly a title that left me super curious about the book, but that cover sure did. In case you haven't been watching, I'm somewhat of a sucker for a good vampire story; especially if said story has vampires that aren't emo and vegetarian. No worries on that front in this novel. These vampires know what they need to survive and how to go about getting it.

The book starts off with a bang; our main character pushing her way out of a grave and trying to figure out what the hell happened to her. From there it only gets better as she has to figure out how to survive as a vampire with absolutely no instructions from her maker (who's a real piece of work himself).

Despite a few editorial errors, the novel was a hit with me. Great pacing and a kick ass heroine who has her faults and knows it. A few pretty hot sex scenes, great supporting cast of characters (love, love, loved the Gramma), and a decent plot line -- not much more I could ask for in a vampire story... except maybe a sequel? ...more

An excellent dark-urban-fantasy with great character development. I loved so many of the elements in this book. The villian, the action, the monsters, the gore, and the romance, altogether created an exciting story. Many of the elements are traditional vampire lore but there is a twist to Frater's main vampire and without providing any spoilers, I have to say I loved it.

﻿Miss Frater, you rocked this one hardcore!!! If you have read anything Miss Frater writes, you know firsthand how epic her writing skills are! She grips you into her story like a vice and doesn't release her grip until you've finished every last word she writes. If you haven't read any of Miss Frater's work, than WTH are you waiting for???

Pretty When She Dies, was a dark, gritty at times, urban read. It had me by page 3 and I tore thru this book in the matter of a day.

Amaliya, the main charac

﻿Miss Frater, you rocked this one hardcore!!! If you have read anything Miss Frater writes, you know firsthand how epic her writing skills are! She grips you into her story like a vice and doesn't release her grip until you've finished every last word she writes. If you haven't read any of Miss Frater's work, than WTH are you waiting for???

Pretty When She Dies, was a dark, gritty at times, urban read. It had me by page 3 and I tore thru this book in the matter of a day.

Amaliya, the main character of this book wakes from a grave, not knowing what has happened to her or where she is at first. A college student, she lives on campus and hears a voice in her head to go home, and shower. Confused and mentally unable to realize what has happened to her, she sets off to her dorm room, showers, and feels a need, a hunger. The voice in her head tells her to feed. She leaves her room to try to eat, but feels an unexplainable pull towards another dorm, and a secret room where there is a group of naked college students getting their freak on. Amaliya, is not like these students, she is more reserved, and quiet, although it seems she hides behind her mask of piercings, tats, and black dyed hair. Entering the room, she has an uncontrollable need to feed, and feed she does!! As she wipes out the group within minutes, what is left shocks her and she is left wondering what the hell she just did, and what the hell she is?

As, the story continues, Amal finds herself trying to figure out what she is, what has happened to her, and what purpose she serves. She journey's to find answers of what she is and tries to find others like her kind, to help her.

Amal, is a character you can feel for, she has been thru alot not only now, but in her past life. Naive at times, she slowly journey's to becoming bad-ass and every step she takes it seems, is steps in the right direction. I love the way she takes down, a nasty, truck driver who feels he can use any young girl he comes across, Amal teaches him the hard way he picked the wrong girl to screw with.

Amal's story and journey is of course, being tracked by the powerful necromancer/summoner/vampire as he is the reason she is in the peril she's in now. He follows her, and watches her every decision, as he realizes she may be more than what he first bargained for. The ending is great, and I really don't want to spoil anymore for you.

Just. Read. It.

Did I love this book? Hell yes, I did. It was a great story. Like I said before, Miss Frater can take the best or worst characters and have you feel for them. Gritty and raw...more

There is nothing pretty about this book or the way she dies! This book gripped me from the start. It was an evocative read and I couldn’t put it down. This is how vampire books should be written and let me tell you one thing, there is nothing that sparkles about the vampires in the gripping tale.

In this book you meet Amaliya and she wakes up in a place that will scare the shit out of the average person. She is left to fend for herself and discover how to live tOriginally Posted at Oh My Shelves

There is nothing pretty about this book or the way she dies! This book gripped me from the start. It was an evocative read and I couldn’t put it down. This is how vampire books should be written and let me tell you one thing, there is nothing that sparkles about the vampires in the gripping tale.

In this book you meet Amaliya and she wakes up in a place that will scare the shit out of the average person. She is left to fend for herself and discover how to live the life of legend. She decides that she has to find one of her kind and boy are we in for one hell of a ride, but what Amaliya doesn’t know is that she is being watched.

Her creator also known as the Summoner is following her every move waiting to see how well she does on her own. He is the most feared vampire in all history because he can raise the dead.

She added the perfect secondary characters that developed the story into something so touching that my heart was in this story every step of way. This was a well written story of love, family, betrayal, and finding yourself with the addition of vampires.

This is my first book by the Ms. Frater but it definitely will not be my last. ...more

Amaliya had a feeling that her morals were slipping fast and that she wasn't thinking clearly. But at the same time, it felt good to not really care. If she was going to have to feed, then she shouldn't have to feel bad, right?

Pretty When She Dies is the first book in a Trilogy and as first books go this was pretty good. With most first books there is usually alot of information that drags the story down. However in this book Amaliya is a newly turned vampire who's been told to fend for herselfAmaliya had a feeling that her morals were slipping fast and that she wasn't thinking clearly. But at the same time, it felt good to not really care. If she was going to have to feed, then she shouldn't have to feel bad, right?

Pretty When She Dies is the first book in a Trilogy and as first books go this was pretty good. With most first books there is usually alot of information that drags the story down. However in this book Amaliya is a newly turned vampire who's been told to fend for herself by the vampire who turned her, so the readers get to learn everything along with Amaliya. The story starts off with Amaliya clawing her way out of her grave, something that gave me chills down my spine. She's disorientated and has trouble remembering anything of her former life. Once she gets her bearings she manages to make it to her old dorm room and clean off the dirt then sets out to find herself a warm dinner. While she's in the throws of blood lust she sucks dry a room full of people in the middle of an orgy, all while her maker watches on with sick appreciation. After Amaliya starts coming back to herself she realizes whats shes done and gets the hell away from there. Having no other choice but to flee she decides that finding another her kind that is willing to help her is her only safe option left.

“Perhaps you should go home now. It is very late.” “You're trying to get rid of me,” Samantha said in an accusing tone. Roberto whirled on her, and said in a fierce voice, “This is not about you!” Samantha drew back, startled. “Yes. Yes, it is! I'm his fiancée, asshole!”

I really liked the heroine of this book. At first she seems like a bit of a pushover but once she gets away from her old life she really starts to take control and refuses to take crap from anyone. As soon as she hits Austin TX she goes on the hunt from a local vampire to help her but soon finds out that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Pun not intended. While out hunting one night Cian (pronounced Key-Inn) runs into Amaliya, so what's a vampire to do when someone invades his territory? Go all cave man, bash her in the back of the head and sling her over your shoulder apparently. I loved Cian he was the perfect balance of kind and caring man VS sexy and smouldering vampire. There's only one thing wrong...he's engaged to be married to the cute, perky Samantha. A character that annoyed me SO much, she had a tendency to stamp her foot and whine whenever she didn't get her way. However it made for some delicious and forbidden tension between Amaliya and Cian.

“I'll teach you the basics of our abilities tomorrow and then you must leave.” “Okay,” she said softly. “Because if you don't go,” he hesitated. “If you don't go tomorrow, I may never let you go.”

This book ended well, something that I'm so thankful for. It was a closed ending with the hint of problems to come. I look forward to book 2 and hope to god Samantha isn't in the story all that much. ...more

EmmyGreat review! Yes, Samantha redeemed herself somewhat at the end. I want to read Rhiannon's zombie series now. I liked her writing style and the darkeGreat review! Yes, Samantha redeemed herself somewhat at the end. I want to read Rhiannon's zombie series now. I liked her writing style and the darker subject matter....more
Mar 29, 2012 09:07AM

RoxanneI agree, she doesn't shy away from things in her writing and gives the readers the full impact of everything. Even though some of it gave me the creepI agree, she doesn't shy away from things in her writing and gives the readers the full impact of everything. Even though some of it gave me the creeps I still enjoyed it....more
Mar 29, 2012 04:50PM

Ms. Frater's storytelling reflects what is best about the paranormal genre -- unfettered imagination. From the first page we are thrust headfirst into Amaliya's world as she awakens in a grave. Her confusion and disorientation was so expertly written that I felt like I was walking back to her dorm beside her. I could hear her voice even though she is written in 3rd person removed. Normally, I do not enjoy it when a paranormal romance takes me on dead end journeys with throw away characters thatMs. Frater's storytelling reflects what is best about the paranormal genre -- unfettered imagination. From the first page we are thrust headfirst into Amaliya's world as she awakens in a grave. Her confusion and disorientation was so expertly written that I felt like I was walking back to her dorm beside her. I could hear her voice even though she is written in 3rd person removed. Normally, I do not enjoy it when a paranormal romance takes me on dead end journeys with throw away characters that pop in and out of the story without making a clear contribution. I was more than halfway through the book before I realized that several characters were spare parts. I began to suspect, this is no ordinary paranormal romance but a fantasy in disguise. It's a little of both actually and it works quite well.

I love the construction of Amaliya's world. Cian, our story's hero does not show up until more than 1/2 way through. I had to go back and check to make sure there was a hero for our heroine or if she was going to have to pull this whole thing off by herself. It takes a brave writer to have a heroine not be physically attracted to her intended because he is short in her opinion and does not meet her general standards for sexy. I did not know what to make of that but I did not have to ponder it long. Like everything else in this book, I found my viewpoints and backseat driving where not better than what Ms. Frater wanted me to accept and appreciate.

The bad guy is called The Summoner. He is a very old vampire who has mastered necromancy. He has not an inch of humanity. His boredom is something that has become legend to other vampires who go out of their way to never be in the same city as him. He is a nasty piece of work. He is also the maker of Amaliya and Cian who is now 300 plus years old. We also meet Amaliya's family, Cian's fiance (yes he is in love with someone else), Cian's butler who does not want to share his friend AT ALL, and a vampire hunter with a fake leg. It's ingredients you just would never throw into the same pot but thrust me, it works wonderfully. The story starts out so dark that you don't see the humor coming but it does and it's done well like everything else. This is one of those books you will talk back to (at least I hope I am not the only one that does that).

Get it, read it, love it...dare ya to find any flaws in this one. I could not find one single thing not to love....more

Pretty when she dies was a surprisingly good book that I really enjoyed.

The story started out when the main character Amaliya wakes up in a grave in the woods near her campus. Not only is she covered in the grime of dirt, but dried blood is all over her as well. The author takes you through her initial confusion. She doesn't know who she is, what her name is, let alone how she got there. But by instinct and luck she makes it back to her dorm room where she takes a shower, and decides that she mPretty when she dies was a surprisingly good book that I really enjoyed.

The story started out when the main character Amaliya wakes up in a grave in the woods near her campus. Not only is she covered in the grime of dirt, but dried blood is all over her as well. The author takes you through her initial confusion. She doesn't know who she is, what her name is, let alone how she got there. But by instinct and luck she makes it back to her dorm room where she takes a shower, and decides that she must have been dreaming.

She decides that since she's so hungry she needs to eat, and that maybe that will help her. However, instead of going to her car, she is drawn to a small party instead. There she drinks the blood of all thirteen people inside. Afterward she falls asleep amongst all of the gore.

When she wakes up Professor Somner is there, and he explains that she is a vampire. He explains that he turned her, and that he isn't going to offer her any assistance. He is curious to see how she will survive.

And so she leaves the college in a panic, and starts her journey to say good by to her family and to find others like herself so that she can understand exactly what she has become.

Amaliya's grandmother was by far my favorite character in the book. She was spunky, tough, no-nonsense, and lovable. I loved how she decided to accept her granddaughter no matter what she had become. Even despite how religious she is.

Conclusion

This book I would defiantly recommend to any and all vampire lovers. It had all of the cliche vampires attributes in it such as burning up in the sun, not being able to come into a home unless invited, no reflection, and mind control. And yet, it still managed to be fresh and exciting.

Pretty When She Dies is a bloody, violent, fiercely sexual vampire tale. DO NOT read this book if you have a problem with intense violence or sexuality. The reviewer here who was upset that Frater never warned that this wasn't for teenagers clearly never looked at the cover.

Amilaya claws her way out of her own grave at the novel's opening and spends the remainder of the book, metaphorically doing the same thing; that is to say that every page is a struggle for survival.

Rhiannon Frater succeedsPretty When She Dies is a bloody, violent, fiercely sexual vampire tale. DO NOT read this book if you have a problem with intense violence or sexuality. The reviewer here who was upset that Frater never warned that this wasn't for teenagers clearly never looked at the cover.

Amilaya claws her way out of her own grave at the novel's opening and spends the remainder of the book, metaphorically doing the same thing; that is to say that every page is a struggle for survival.

Rhiannon Frater succeeds in making blood and fangs sexy without resorting to soft touches and sparkles. While there are a disproportionate amount of unusual names in this book, and Amilaya's life is one tragedy after another, the chemistry between Cian and Amilaya is undeniable. Frater doth protest too much to Cian being Amilaya's type, because when blood-lust and plain ol' fashioned lust meet,their differences don't seem to matter.

The book contains a few awkward phrases and missing punctuation marks, but this is not devastatingly distracting. Sometimes Frater tells too much-- having characters read too much in the eyes of their companions and explaining the motives of every character. The epilogue goes on a little longer than necessary, too. Despite these little hiccups, the novel clicks along and keeps you reading.'

Frater adds necromancy (and therefore Zombies) to the mix in this sparkle-free vampire tale. While the Vampires seem straight out of White-Wolf's Vampire the Requiem/Masquerade, the addition of the Summoners stitched-together monsters keep it fresh.

What I enjoyed the most was the fact that one of the major characters in the novel is a little old hispanic woman. She's a strong, useful character, too. Frater does not create a single character without a serious flaw. I have to show respect here. (view spoiler)[She makes me completely HATE Samantha, before appreciating her loyalty and maturity at the end, as she gives up her romance with Cian but still sticks by his side as a protector. (hide spoiler)]

I'm not sure if I want to read Pretty When She Kills but only because I feel like Pretty When She Dies wraps up the story at an appropriate place. Still, if you like bloody, sexy, violent vampires, read Pretty When She Dies.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

Rhiannon Frater was born and raised a Texan. Though she has lived in various towns all over the state, she finally settled in Austin, Texas where she met her husband and worked as a governmental consultant. During her travels for her job, she was inspired to write the story of two women fleeing into the Texas Hill Country in an attempt to survive the zombie apocalypse. Originally published as a seRhiannon Frater was born and raised a Texan. Though she has lived in various towns all over the state, she finally settled in Austin, Texas where she met her husband and worked as a governmental consultant. During her travels for her job, she was inspired to write the story of two women fleeing into the Texas Hill Country in an attempt to survive the zombie apocalypse. Originally published as a serial online under the title AS THE WORLD DIES, she later self-published the series in three novels to satisfy the many fans of the story. The first novel in the series, THE FIRST DAYS, won the 2008 Dead Letter Award for Best Book (Fiction). The second book, FIGHTING TO SURVIVE won the 2009 Dead Letter Award in the same category.

The AS THE WORLD DIES books were purchased by Tor in 2010.The first book, THE FIRST DAYS, was released in July 2011 and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The second, FIGHTING TO SURVIVE, was released on November 8, 2011. The third book, SIEGE, will be released in April 2012.

She is also the author of THE LIVING DEAD BOY AND THE ZOMBIE HUNTERS, PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES: A Vampire Novel and two novels in the Vampire Bride Series (THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE and THE VENGEANCE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE). All her works have been optioned for either TV or film.

Rhiannon continues to live in Austin, Texas with her husband and is now a full-time writer.She is represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry Literary + Media agency.

“What do you privately consult about?”Haunted houses, exorcisms, that sort of thing,” he answered.Wow. You're like-”Don't say it.”-Giles from Buffy.”He rolled his eyes. “If I had a quarter for every time someone saidthat.”
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“She parked near the fence and took a deep breath. Curious, she did itagain, feeling her lungs expand, then contract. She sat in silence,letting her body decide what to do next. Her lungs stayed still, but shedidn't feel as though she was suffocating.“Yep, dead,” she whispered.”
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